For STM+ who's water broke in a previous pregnancy

gmd88

For all you experienced mamas.. Did your water break prior to/at the beginning of labor? If so.. About how much fluid are we talking? Was it like a tidal wave or a trickle? I'm planning on working up until I go into labor.. And although I hope that happens at home, I'm terrified of soaking my office chair if my water breaks! How horrifying... I feel like I'm going to be in depends by like 37 weeks if my paranoia of this doesn't go away... I work in a very small office of all men.. I can't imagine the embarassment.. Help!

breezymeema7

It's something like only 15% of pregnancies have their water break as the initial labour sign. That said, my water has broke first with all 3 babies. 1. It was a tidal wave and just kept coming (I had polyhydramnios so there was a lot of fluid in there) 2. Pop and then a steady stream. I remember walking into the hospital and leaving a water trail all through emerge up to l&d. 3. Slow leak that I was not even aware of until I went in to the hospital. It's really out of your control. If you are concerned, once you hit 36 weeks put a towel on your chair at work and wear a pad. Chances are that you will be just fine and won't experience any awkward public water breaking experience.

HarleenQuinz86

My water broke with my second but i was having consistent contractions before my water broke. It broke when I stood up from the triage bed to walk to my room and it felt like a little pop then water started to trickle down my leg like I peed my pants but had no control over it. They didn't let me walk to my room after that they took me in a wheel chair.

emmacake08

Mine broke in the middle of the night. I woke up to feeling a lot of warm water everywhere. It took about 15-30 seconds of tired delirium to process what had happened and it was a huge gush. Every time I moved, water trickled out. I wore a towel between my legs until I could get an industrial size maxi pad downstairs to go to the hospital. Most people of the small % that have their water break first, it's a trickle. The movie like scenario of your water breaking all over someone is rare.

This is also why I don't give labor advice. Water broke at 230am, twins delivered via csection (breech babies) at 411 and 412 with zero contractions. This laboring thing is a whole new thing for me!

CaliforniaDream87

I also plan to work up until my due date. I'm not too worried about my water breaking. It's fairly rare to happen As an initial labor sign anyway.

With DS, I was admitted because of my contractions being so close two days after my EDD. Once I got the Epi, not even 10 minutes go by and my water explodes. Like gushing all over the hospital bed. Good times

Thj417

Water did not break - though I hoped for it as we moved past the due date. It never happened. Now - if you're at the grocery store when/if it happens - my
Mom said to throw/break a jar of pickles and run out. Not sure how that would help but it'll give you a laugh

carriebelle77

My water broke with #1 in the parking lot on my way to go out to lunch with my mom. I just felt odd, like I was starting my period, and by the time I got to my car, my mom said, "Either you peed your pants or your water broke!"

Perfect Sonnet

My water broke.  But it wasn't like it just randomly broke and I had no idea I was in labor.  I was actually already at the hospital laying in triage to monitor the intense contractions I had been having for the past 16 hours.  I had also lost my mucus plug the day before.  I know it happens randomly for some (like above), but for me there was a definite build up.

jess3609

I had contractions all morning then my water broke at my midwife's office on the exam table! A pop and gush of fluid ALL OVER! I had failed to mention to my midwife that I thought I was in labor...lets just say she was rather surprised!

mamaloaf

I sat up at 6:00 in the morning and felt a gush of warm fluid. I highly recommend buying a thin plastic mattress liner and putting it under your mattress pad and sheets! Nobody wants baby cooking juice soaking into their mattress.

lvrunningirlie

Mine was broken at the hospital... but a note to the worry of it breaking while at work. With my first I had the same concern, so I just brought a towel and put it on the chair to sit on.... just in case lol.

prairiedreams

Broke at home, I was still sleeping and thought I had peed myself but when it kept coming (now in the toilet) I knew it was not pee!!

bhargrave88

I had no contractions prior, but my water broke at exactly 41 weeks (was scheduled for induction later that day! Lol). We had sex and then I kept having to pee a lot, but noticed that my pee also smelled odd.. Not bad, just odd. A few hours of this, and I felt a pop, then a slight trickle so I ran to the bathroom. I was standing in front of the toilet, when niagra falls broke loose.. I had about 3 huge gushes of fluid like that, then about 15 minutes later contractions began after I got a case of the flying poops. I also lost my mucus plug at that point (a bit backwards, I know!). I had contractions 2.5 mins apart from there up til I got to re hospital. I wore a pad in case I had anymore rushes but never did hope that helped!

Miz_Liz

Mine broke at the hospital. I had been having contractions all morning and they were getting more intense and closer together. I was in triage and they had just checked me - I was only 2 cm so they were telling me I could go home. I must have had a horrified look on my face (I couldn't believe with all of that pain I was only 2 cm) so she asked where I lived and was suggesting places we could go walk around. Literally as she is telling me all of this I felt a trickle of fluid, she checked and said, "Well, congratulations, you are staying!" and admitted me. I think it broke from her checking me - that frigging hurt and I think was just enough. No big gushes here though.

Perfect Sonnet

Miz_Liz said:

Mine broke at the hospital. I had been having contractions all morning and they were getting more intense and closer together. I was in triage and they had just checked me - I was only 2 cm so they were telling me I could go home. I must have had a horrified look on my face (I couldn't believe with all of that pain I was only 2 cm) so she asked where I lived and was suggesting places we could go walk around. Literally as she is telling me all of this I felt a trickle of fluid, she checked and said, "Well, congratulations, you are staying!" and admitted me. I think it broke from her checking me - that frigging hurt and I think was just enough. No big gushes here though.

This is similar to what happened to me.  I was so relieved when my water broke and I got to stay.  I could barely walk through the intensity of the contractions, but wasn't dilated much.  They were iffy about what to do with me until my water broke.  No big gushes for me either.   

Kelsie07Ulmer

My water never really "broke". I kept having little "gushes" of what I thought was heavy discharge for about 2.5 weeks. I mentioned it to my doctor 3 times before she finally did I swab to check for amniotic fluid. It came back positive. I had to be induced that day since they didn't know how long I'd been leaking.

staciedw

My water broke before my contractions started. It was in the middle of the night I felt a pop then a little trickle. Stood up and it flowed all over the floor!! Went to the hospital and gave birth 12 hours later.

mrsannie

Mine broke with both my pregnancies. First time, I was having strong Braxton Hicks all evening, but nothing painful or consistent. Laid down in bed, heard a huge pop, then had the water gush like in the movies. Went straight to the hospital. Water was coming out heavily all the way to the hospital and for a while after I got there.

Second, had no signs of labor just had a small leak all evening. Wasn't sure if it was my water or not, even drove myself to the hospital to get checked and sure enough my water had broke and wasn't even contracting yet. 

You just never know! I honestly wouldn't worry about it, even if your water does break in your office chair, you'll be so excited that you get to meet your baby soon, you won't care where you are!

gmd88

OK ladies I really appreciate the info but I'm not sure all the "gushing" niagra falls stories make me feel better! Ahhh! I don't want anyone to see if it happens at work and I don't know how to explain a towel on my seat... For the gushers... Would a large pad help? I mean I'm sure it won't hurt... Or is it a lost cause? I'll probably keep a spare pair of pants at work too so I can change if worst comes to worst.... And a towel... Oh jeez this is stressful!

laurena612

Mine broke in hospital I had contractions for 12 hours at home before hand then they broke when I arrived in delivery.

bjbeaudoin

My mucus plug came out and I went to the hospital, they almost sent me home when my contractions started.. my water never broke, they had to break it for me.

lvrunningirlie

gmd88 said:

OK ladies I really appreciate the info but I'm not sure all the "gushing" niagra falls stories make me feel better! Ahhh! I don't want anyone to see if it happens at work and I don't know how to explain a towel on my seat... For the gushers... Would a large pad help? I mean I'm sure it won't hurt... Or is it a lost cause? I'll probably keep a spare pair of pants at work too so I can change if worst comes to worst.... And a towel... Oh jeez this is stressful!

lol... do you really need to explain it? You're REGNANT for cryin out loud

gmd88

@lvrunningirlie OK its more like I don't WANT anyone even thinking about my bodily fluids lol... This is when it would be nice to not be the only female in the office and to have a door that I could close when things go awry instead of a cubicle... Aghh

KatieRu920

My water broke and was the first sign of labor. It was A LOT. It was in the middle of the night and was all over the bathroom floor (which is steps away from my bed) and I got a lot in the toilet thankfully. But I sat on the toilet a long time and even after it just kept coming. I sat on a towel on my way to the hospital.

buckleyk

Like everyone said- it's RARELY the first sign of labor! Like only 10-15% so don't panic. Of all my friends, I'm the ONLY who it happened to.

Around 10pm I was walking back from the bathroom and there was almost like pop and out it trickled. Enough to run down both my legs but nothing got on the carpet. If I stood still or walked slowly nothing came out but if I made a sudden movement, more would come. If I hadn't just gone to the bathroom, I would have thought I peed myself.

lvrunningirlie

gmd88 said:

@lvrunningirlie OK its more like I don't WANT anyone even thinking about my bodily fluids lol... This is when it would be nice to not be the only female in the office and to have a door that I could close when things go awry instead of a cubicle... Aghh

Lol I understand. Yeah being the solo female has to be hard, they'd probably panic if your water broke there lol. Although if you get a towel that matches your chair it wouldn't be too obvious... I don't think anyways lol

gmd88

@lvrunningirlie maybe I'll pick up a black towel... Guys are pretty oblivious, right? Haha

jesicabrennan

My labor started with my water breaking and it was a huge gush...but that's not the norm! Usually you're contracting for awhile before your water breaks. I'd risk it, keep working as long as you're comfortable doing so!

bhargrave88

In my experience... A towel, pad or anything else wouldn't have contained the amount of fluid that came out of me lol. It was easier to just (no pun intended to frozen) let it go.. Lol. I put a pad on on my way to the hospital because the bloody show had begun, but had I had anymore gushes like the first 3 rounds.. It woulda been a mess lol. I did keep a towel in the truck to sit on so I didn't get it all over my seat. It's really nothing to be embarrassed over.. And it'll be the least of your worries if you are experiencing the contractions like I did lol.. I'm normally pretty laid back, but every few minutes all you heard fly out of my mouth was the "F" word. My husband lectured me on how I should find something else to say because it wasn't "ladylike" for me to say that lol!!! Considering we had other women around me screaming or moaning, I think my f word was pretty tame.

FYI: dialation checks are a mofo.. They hurt worse than the contractions!

bhargrave88

I'm risking having my water break while I'm stuck in business classes! Lol. Due to block scheduling, I'm with the same group of people.. I feel blessed that so many people have offered to take me to the hospital, call my husband, and even carry me to my truck if my water breaks in class lol ! I'm going to have a bag with the following in it for school come July, in case my water does break in class: a few old towels, a couple of pads for bloody show, some baby wipes to wipe myself off with, a stopwatch to time contractions, a change of pants and underwear and a list containing my husband's name and phone number, and my friends name, address, and phone number who lives near my school and the hospital. (I live 35 minutes from the college and 45 mins from the hospital! My husband has a motorcycle and we have a 2 year old. So my friend will go get hubby.

malisaann

Mine broke like it does in the movies. I was sitting on the couch and felt some warm liquid down there. Stood up and it gushed all over our couch and floor. A pad wouldn't have stood a chance! It took 2-3 big towels to clean it up.

As I waddled to the toilet, it kept coming and I lost my plug then too. A few hours later, after contractions had started and I was in labor, I had one more big-ish gush. A pad probably would have helped with the second one.

saroos3137

My water broke after having contractions for at least 8 hours. We were in the car on the way to the hospital, but DH was worried he'd pass out if he didn't eat, so we went through the Jimmy John's drive-thru and between the ordering mic and the pick-up window, I made him stop for a contraction, and my water broke! Luckily he thought to grab me another pair of pants on the way out the door because I wasn't wearing those ones home after that. 

I think it'll be pretty unlikely that you wouldn't have some sort of sign of labor prior to your water breaking. Even for those above who did have it break prior to contractions, it sounds like it happened at home. Don't freak yourself out too much about it. Even if it did happen at work, the men you work with should be mature enough to realize it's a natural part of having a baby.